The Chinese vendor believes that capacity demands on metro networks will increase dramatically, driven by increasing volumes of backbone traffic being offloaded onto metro networks. As a result, metro transport gear needs to have much greater capacity and this, believes Huawei, makes the introduction of high-capacity WDM systems at "the edge" of the network inevitable.

To meet that demand, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has developed a PIC -- a chip that integrates multiple WDM components such as lasers, modulators, detectors, and multiplexers -- that can deliver 200 Gbit/s per fiber and be deployed on its OSN 1800 V box, a 5RU height WDM/OTN box. (See Huawei Unveils Metro OTN Box.)

Re: Big battle looming True, Infinera and Ciena probably don't need to worry about Huawei as a threat in the US market for now, and probably won't have much luck against them in China, but they are both trying to make headway in the rest of Asia, and the rest of the world.

Re: Big battle looming Yes, definite battle looming in the metro, and wonder if Huawei's move will lure Infinera deeper into that battle. It has not been quite as bullish on the metro market as Ciena, for example, but beyind 100G, it certainly has the PIC and the capabilities.

Big battle looming IT's going to be interesting to see if Huawei makes any headway with its metro PIC products outside China -- Infinera has such a foothold, a lot of experience and a track record of delivering, as well as market momentum.

The metro market, though, is going to be brutal, it seems. So many cmopanies betting the house on this one...

Understanding the full experience of women in technology requires starting at the collegiate level (or sooner) and studying the technologies women are involved with, company cultures they're part of and personal experiences of individuals.

During this WiC radio show, we will talk with Nicole Engelbert, the director of Research & Analysis for Ovum Technology and a 23-year telecom industry veteran, about her experiences and perspectives on women in tech. Engelbert covers infrastructure, applications and industries for Ovum, but she is also involved in the research firm's higher education team and has helped colleges and universities globally leverage technology as a strategy for improving recruitment, retention and graduation performance.

She will share her unique insight into the collegiate level, where women pursuing engineering and STEM-related degrees is dwindling. Engelbert will also reveal new, original Ovum research on the topics of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, security and augmented reality, as well as discuss what each of those technologies might mean for women in our field. As always, we'll also leave plenty of time to answer all your questions live on the air and chat board.